Never Too Late, Not A Moment Too Soon
by lookingforthestars
Summary: "What are we…?" Paige frowned. In a thousand years, she never thought her boyfriend and son would willingly step foot inside a jewelry store. "Are you teaching Ralph about gemstones or something?"


**Just writing a ton of fluff to combat the stress of job hunting (feel free to skip all of this but don't worry, I didn't lose my job or anything. My company is merging, and I may lose my job at some point this year and frankly it's making me miserable anyway so it's just a good time to move on). Anyway, thanks to everyone who has been reviewing my stories lately, old and new. It's exactly the boost I've needed. Enjoy!**

It was a perfect night to be with her geniuses.

The air was balmy, warm enough to wear her dress without a jacket. None of them were quite hungry enough for dinner yet and she'd eagerly agreed when Walter suggested a walk beforehand. Ralph was slightly ahead of them, peering in the windows of all the shops and stopping every few minutes to point out interesting finds to his mentor. They both had a tendency to hoard, and Paige was mentally preparing herself to say no if Ralph decided to beg her for a purchase. His room was already too messy. It seemed like they couldn't see something intriguing, something beautiful, without taking it home and studying its inner workings in greater detail.

Walter slowed slightly, glancing over at her. "One more stop and then we'll go to dinner, okay?"

She smiled, squeezing his hand in hers. "Yeah. Sure." Ralph's second favorite store for lab equipment was around the corner; they were probably picking up supplies for a project and Paige subtly rolled her eyes at the thought of sitting next to an oversize telescope at the restaurant.

They didn't make it that far. Walter had to tug her back as she strolled straight past their intended destination, and even then it was a surprisingly long moment before she absorbed her surroundings.

"What are we…?" Paige frowned, looking back over her shoulder at Walter as he shut the door behind them. In a thousand years, she never thought her boyfriend and son would willingly step foot inside a jewelry store. "Are you teaching Ralph about gemstones or something?"

Walter huffed out a nervous laugh, grasping her hands and nearly walking backward as he led her toward the rest of the display cases. The shop was empty, as far as she could see—it had to be close to closing. That made sense. That was the only thing that made sense.

"P-Paige," he stammered, coming to an abrupt stop and holding onto her like she was a lifeline. She was sure her confusion was written all over her face, but hey, they couldn't all have stunning IQs. "It didn't feel right to, uh, to d-do this without one, but this is kind of a long-term thing and you would have to wear it everyday so I, um, I was worried that getting the wrong one might ruin it. A-And so that's why we're here. To pick one out."

Walter was half mumbling and Paige was genuinely concerned by how tense he seemed. She stepped forward, bringing her hands up to his cheeks, an action which had proven pretty reliable in soothing him. "Honey," she said gently, raising her eyebrows. "Picking out what? What are we doing here?"

In lieu of an answer, Walter's eyes dropped to the case next to them and Paige almost had a heart attack when her gaze followed.

"Holy shit you're proposing," she whispered.

The genius nodded, looking a little more relieved since she'd put the pieces together. In retrospect, that was the most obvious conclusion. But they had only ever discussed marriage in the abstract. It wasn't like she'd been on her toes, waiting for any moment to be _the_ moment. Looking for clues, like…like the choice of a suspiciously nice restaurant…or Walter in the most expensive shirt he owned okay she probably should have seen this coming.

She instinctively searched for her son, finding him a few feet to her left. "Did you…?" She trailed off, his bright grin rendering her question moot. "Of course you did."

Paige blew out a breath, dropping her hands. Walter quickly reclaimed them, unwilling to break their physical contact. "I know we've been together less than a year," he said, his voice more substantial. "I understand if you need additional time to be certain. But I, uh…don't. So I would like to marry you. I-If you want to marry me."

There wasn't enough oxygen in her lungs. That was concerning. Paige swallowed, trying to wrap her brain around what he was asking as quickly as possible because it seemed like an eternity since she'd spoken and not even Walter needed this much time to process, right?

Uncertainty crept into the genius's expression. "Are you mad?" he asked, brows furrowing as he attempted to read her. "T-Tell me if I'm doing this wrong. I mean it's obviously not typical, but we aren't. Uh, typical. But I can see how this might have been too pragmatic, and maybe you wanted something more—."

"That one," Paige said quietly, effectively cutting him off. Walter looked down to where she was pointing, the thin band that had caught her eye almost immediately, even amid the distraction. "I like that one."

"Yeah?"

Paige smiled at the renewed light in his eyes, the hopefulness in his voice. She nodded, her own vision started to blur slightly. "Yes."

Walter closed the distance, meeting her lips halfway as he pulled her into his arms. Neither of them could stop smiling into the kiss and eventually they just gave up, resting their foreheads together as her hand came up to the back of his neck. "I love you."

When Ralph joined, one arm around each of them, Paige couldn't believe Walter had ever thought she would want anything else.


End file.
